The present invention relates to a method and a device for operating a vehicle, in particular an electric or hybrid vehicle. Electric or hybrid vehicles are those which operate the respective drive train thereof entirely or at least in part with electric energy.
In constructing and planning electric and hybrid vehicles and even vehicles having an internal combustion engine or having alternative energy sources, great importance is given to the efficient control or controllability of the respective vehicle. The efficient control or controllability particularly includes an efficient and most importantly an energy efficient operation of the vehicle. A multiplicity of information can be used for the operation of the vehicle, for example information regarding a past and current power requirement of the vehicle.
In the German patent application DE 10 2011 054 457 A1, a method and device for determining the cruising range of an electric vehicle are described. The method includes determining a value of useable battery energy and a power value which is required for heating or cooling a vehicle cab. The method determines a value of available battery energy on the basis of a value of useable battery energy and an estimated energy value for providing the heating and cooling of the vehicle cab. The method determines a value of recently consumed energy on the basis of an actual value of recently consumed HVAC energy, a value of recently consumed energy without HVAC system loads and a value of recently consumed energy with maximum HVAC system loads. The method determines a value for distance recently traveled and determines the range by dividing the value for distance recently traveled by the value of recently consumed energy and by multiplying the result by the value of useable battery energy.